BETTING ON THE BOWL : POINT SPREAD ADDS INTEREST TO TITLE GAME POLICE SEEK TO THROW FLAG ON ILLEGAL WAGERING.

Byline: Dennis Love Daily News Staff Writer

Around 1960, a Las Vegas bookmaker named Bob Martin was casting about for a way to reinvigorate betting on sporting events. He came up with an innovation that did nothing less than revolutionize the gambling industry:

The point spread.

Instantly, every game - no matter how lopsided on the field - became a competitive proposition in the stands. And now, as the 31st annual Super Bowl prepares to kick off Sunday in New Orleans, an estimated $80 million will be wagered legally in Las Vegas on the game, and untold hundreds of millions illegally across the country.

``What it has all come to, amazes me,'' said Martin, now retired, during a telephone interview Friday from Las Vegas. ``Everything is so big. It has all passed me by, frankly.''

Point spreads, ``proposition'' bets, ``teasers,'' office pools, bets between friends - wagering on football, especially pro football, long ago became a national obsession. But the Super Bowl ``brings them out of the woodwork,'' said Lt. Jack Miller of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department vice squad. ``People who don't lay a bet all year will bet this game.''

Illegal betting on the Super Bowl is so prevalent, Miller said, that law enforcement agencies such as his are forced to focus only on the largest organized operations.

``We just don't have the resources,'' he said. ``In the past we've run task forces on Super Bowl Sunday against some of the big bookmakers, but even that is difficult to do.''

Of course, Miller added, if a ``big'' crackdown on bettors was planned for Sunday, ``I wouldn't tell you.''

Miller said he knows that many argue that betting is harmless, a victimless crime. ``That's not the way it is,'' he said. ``We see people year after year who bet the rent check and get in trouble. People get hurt. It's like alcoholism in that it can be an addiction.''

Meanwhile, by most accounts the bookie business is booming.

``Every year is bigger than the last,'' said one Woodland Hills bookmaker who asked not to be identified for fear of arrest. ``It's up, up, up, more, more, more.''

This year, bettor interest is intense, especially, with traditional fan favorite Green Bay making an appearance in the National Football League's championship game for the first time since 1968. ``The Green Bay people have been here all year,'' the bookie said. ``A lot of people like Green Bay. A lot of people.''

One San Fernando Valley football fan who asked not be identified said he placed a $500 bet on the Packers. Betting on the Super Bowl is so popular, he said, ``because it's the last game of the season. The teams play harder, their blood is boiling . . . everything is on the line.''

Less ambitious gamblers also buy into the action. Another bettor, a 19-year-old clerk at a West Valley supermarket, said he has $5 invested in an office pool where players pick numbers out of a hat. Numbers that match the last digit of each team's final score are the winners. The pot is worth about $65, he said.

``It's not a big deal. It gives people something to talk about,'' he said.

Not everyone handles the heaviest gambling day of the year in a healthy fashion, however.

Most of his informants, Miller said, are people who have lost a great deal of money or, frequently, their spouses. ``They come to us for help,'' he said. ``Someone who gets in too deep and gets beat up in his front yard will finally decide it has to stop.''

There are about 12 million compulsive gamblers in the country. Nearly half bet on sports, and most are men, according to the Council on Compulsive Gambling.

Despite its dark side, gambling is more popular than ever.

Las Vegas, in particular, is in the midst of a historic boom, and at no time during the year is that city more vibrant than Super Bowl Sunday.

``It brings people in like nothing else,'' said Chuck Di Rocco, editorM and publisher of Las Vegas-based Gaming Today. ``The Super Bowl is by far the most popular betting event of the year, followed by the Breeders Cup and the Kentucky Derby. And it's only getting bigger.''

``It's the Super Bowl,'' said the Packer backer. ``Why wouldn't you want to bet it?''

WAYS TO WIN AND LOSE

With Super Bowl Sunday just a day away, here are some pertinent facts for all spectators and a sample of just a few of the ways to win and lose money:

Super Bowl teams: Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots.

Kickoff: 3:18 p.m.

Point spread: Green Bay -14 points.

Projected amount to be bet legally in Las Vegas on the game: $80 million.

Estimated amount bet illegally in the U.S.: hundreds of millions.

A few types of ``proposition'' bets available legally in Las Vegas, with odds explained in parentheses:

Total interceptions (Over 2-1/2: Bet $1, win $1; under 2-1/2: $1 wins $1.20)

Patriots get a safety as their first score (40-1).

Game's first scoring play (Packers field goal, 4-1; Packers touchdown pass, 2-1; Patriots touchdown run 8-1).

CAPTION(S):

Box

Box: WAYS TO WIN AND LOSE (see text)